JAMES MERRY 



the Oaks, when she was quite a different filly, and 

 fairly smothered a field of seventeen. They were, 

 however, a very moderate lot, and I remember that 

 Oxford INIixture could have finished second or third, 

 but Mr. Edmund Tattersall's last instructions to 

 Mordan were that, if he found the little grey could 

 not win, he was not to ride her out for a place. 

 Triumphs in the Coronation Stakes, Yorkshire 

 Oaks, St. Leger, Park Hill Stakes, and Newmarket 

 Oaks made up a brilliant season's work, the only 

 other defeat she sustained being in the Cesarewitch, 

 in which she was handicapped at 8 st. 5 lb., and 

 was set the hopeless task of conceding 14 lb. to the 

 four -year -old King Lud, whose sterling abilities 

 were first discovered in that race. Marie Stuart's 

 only appearance as a four -year -old was made in 

 that famous Ascot Cup of which I have written at 

 some length earlier in this chapter, but her per- 

 formances in the following season, though only four 

 in number, were of a far more satisfactory nature. 

 Her first outing was in the Manchester Cup, for 

 which she was made a very warm favourite, but it 

 was not surprising that she should have failed 

 by half a length to give 47 lb. to the Irish three- 

 year-old, Innishowen. The first and second were 

 well away from the rest of the field, and Mr. 

 Merry's good mare had no difficulty in conceding 

 29 lb. to Controversy, and 17 lb. to Industrious and 

 Scamp, all three of whom were four-year-olds. The 

 Gold Vase at Ascot, in which she was ridden by 

 Fordham, was pretty well at her mercy, as she was 

 in receipt of 5 lb. from Kaiser, and Carnelion and 

 Peut-etre were the only other runners. This was 

 the last occasion upon which she carried the familiar 

 "yellow, black cap," as Mr. Merry soon afterwards 

 sold her to Mr. W. S. Stirling Crawfurd, and Tom 

 Chaloner wore the " scarlet " on her when she won 



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